CN110913684B

CN110913684B - Chaff/straw spreader system of agricultural harvester

Info

Publication number: CN110913684B
Application number: CN201880047367.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: S·德斯密特; T·N·N·索默斯; G·尼瑞克克斯
Original assignee: CNH China Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Keisnew Netherlands Industrial Harbin Machinery Co ltd
Priority date: 2017-06-09
Filing date: 2018-06-05
Publication date: 2022-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 2038-06-05
Also published as: BE1025301A1; BR112019025942A2; US20200196525A1; EP3634109A1; BR112019025942B1; CN110913684A; US11553647B2; BE1025301B1; WO2018224510A1

Abstract

A spreader system (150) for use in an agricultural harvester (10), the agricultural harvester (10) having a threshing system (24) and a cleaning system (26). The spreader system (150) includes a chopper (152) for chopping straw from the threshing system, as well as a chaff spreader system (154) and a straw spreader system (156). Said chaff spreader system (154) being configured to receive a stream of chaff (C) from said cleaning system (26); and the straw spreader system (156) is configured to receive a stream of straw (S) from the shredder (152). The chaff spreader system (154) is configured to discharge a Chaff Airflow Stream (CAS) in a first flow path (FP1), and the straw spreader system (156) is configured to discharge a Straw Airflow Stream (SAS) in a second flow path (FP 2). The first flow path (FP1) and the second flow path (FP2) intersect at a merge location (CON) that is separate from the chaff spreader system (154) and the straw spreader system (156).

Description

Chaff/straw spreader system for agricultural harvester

Technical Field

The present invention relates to agricultural harvesters and, more particularly, to a residue spreader system for use with such harvesters.

Background

Agricultural harvesters, known as "combine harvesters," have historically been referred to as such because it combines multiple harvesting functions with a single harvesting unit, such as picking, threshing, separating, and cleaning. A combine harvester comprises: a header to remove crop from the field, and a feeder housing to transport the crop material into a threshing rotor. The threshing rotor rotates within a perforated housing, which may be in the form of an adjustable concave plate, and performs a threshing operation on the crop to remove the grain. Once the grain is threshed, it falls through the perforations in the concave plate onto the grain pan. Grain is cleaned from a grain pan using a cleaning system and then transported to a grain bin on the combine. The cleaning fan blows air through the screen to discharge chaff and other debris toward the rear of the combine. Non-grain crop material, such as straw, from the threshing section proceeds through a residue system, which may utilize a straw chopper to process the non-grain material and direct it out the rear of the combine. When the grain bin becomes full, the combine is positioned adjacent a vehicle in which the grains are to be unloaded, such as a semi-trailer, gravity box, trailer truck, or the like; and an unloading system on the combine is activated to transfer grain into the vehicle.

More particularly, the rotary threshing or separating system comprises one or more rotors, which may extend axially (front to back) or transversely within the body of the combine harvester and which are partially or completely surrounded by perforated concave plates. Crop material is threshed and separated by rotation of the rotor within the concave. Coarser non-grain crop material, such as stems and leaves, is carried to the rear of the combine and discharged back into the field. The separated grain along with some finer non-grain crop material (such as chaff, dust, straw, and other crop residue) is discharged through the recess plate and falls onto a grain pan where it is transported to a sorting system. Alternatively, grain as well as finer non-grain crop material may also fall directly onto the cleaning system itself.

The cleaning system further separates grain from non-grain crop material and typically includes a fan that directs a stream of air upwardly and rearwardly through a vertically arranged screen that oscillates in a back and forth manner. The airflow stream lifts toward the rear end of the combine and carries lighter non-grain crop material for discharge to the field. The heavier clean grains, as well as larger portions of non-grain crop material not carried away by the airflow stream, fall onto the surface of an upper screen (also referred to as a chaffer screen) where some or all of the clean grains pass through to a lower screen (also referred to as a cleaning screen). Grain and non-grain crop material remaining on the upper and lower screens is physically separated by the reciprocating action of the screens as the material moves backwards. Any cereal grain and/or non-cereal crop material remaining on the top surface of the upper screen is discharged at the rear of the combine. Grain falling through the lower screen falls onto the chassis of the cleaning system where it is propelled forward towards the clean grain auger.

A net grain auger transports grain to a grain bin for temporary storage. The grain accumulates to the point where the grain bin is filled and is discharged to an adjacent vehicle, such as a semi-trailer, gravity-flow dump truck, monocoque or the like, by an unloading system on the combine that is activated to transfer the grain into the vehicle.

During the process of harvesting with a combine, the desired grain is collected and preserved while crop material other than the desired grain is discharged from the combine. Non-grain crop material, crop residue or material other than grain (MOG) typically comes from two areas in a combine harvester: a threshing rotor and a cleaning system. The material discharged from the threshing rotor is commonly referred to as straw and contains a lot of larger plant material, such as stalks, cobs, leaves and the like, as well as foreign or non-crop material. The material discharged from the cleaning system is commonly referred to as chaff and contains a number of relatively fine residues of plant material such as pods, husk fragments and particles. The combined crop residue stream to be discharged from the combine may be treated in several ways; however, the process for relocating the residual material back into the field can generally be classified as composting or spreading.

During the stacking process, crop residue is placed onto the harvested crop residue in a continuous narrow stream or row that is narrower than the width of the harvested swath. The stacked rows of residue material accumulated in this manner can be easily picked up for packing or other subsequent processing or use.

During the spreading process, the mechanical device uniformly distributes the straws and/or chaffs within the cutting width of the header of the combine harvester. The material to be spread is typically chopped into short lengths so that after spreading the material will quickly break down to add nutrients to the soil and/or be chopped small enough so as not to interfere with subsequent farming or sowing operations.

The residue spreader may be horizontal and vertical. Horizontal spreaders include spreader devices having a rotor driven on a substantially vertical axis, and a plurality of blades or paddles on the rotor to propel residue into a wide swath behind the combine. Typically, two such side-by-side rotors are used, which rotate in opposite directions within the housing. After being chopped, the crop residue enters the rotor area through a vertical inlet in the spreader housing and as the paddle rotates about the axis, the residue is propelled toward a tangential outlet of the housing. Typically, the tangential outlet of the housing is formed by a deflector whose orientation and shape affect the spreading pattern of the crop residue. It is known to use adjustable configurations of the housing and deflector to control the outlet flow of material by adjusting the size and position of the deflector and the size and position of the space between the rotor paddle and the adjustable configuration to distribute crop residue material over the width of the distribution belt behind the combine. It is desirable to achieve even distribution of the material, to cause the residue material to break down more evenly and consistently, and to facilitate subsequent field tilling and sowing operations.

The vertical spreader comprises a rotor driven about a generally horizontal axis and a plurality of blades or paddles are on the rotor to propel residue from the spreader housing. Also, two such rotors side by side are typically used, which rotate in opposite directions.

As the size and crop handling capacity of combine headers increase, the width of combine headers may increase in order to reduce the number of passes in the field. As the width of the header increases, the spreading width of the crop residue behind the combine must also increase in order to evenly cover the field, which is now almost free of crop. The spreading width can be adjusted, for example, by: the rotational speed of the rotor and paddle is increased, thereby allowing crop material to be spread a greater distance from the spreader system. The positioning of the deflector is controlled to prevent, for example, crop residue from being spread onto the unharvested crop to be subsequently collected and reprocessed by the combine.

A particular problem which occurs simultaneously with a large spreading width is that under hard crop conditions "swaths" with a large and small amount of crop residues are produced in the driving direction of the combine harvester. The sticks with high and low crop residue amounts are uneven thicknesses of crop residue, with higher thickness crop residue resulting in high capacity sticks and lower thickness crop residue resulting in low capacity sticks. The crop residue distribution strips may result in certain areas of the field having little crop residue, with less additional nutrients from the residue, while other areas of the field have too much crop residue, which may interfere with sowing and farming.

There is a need in the art for a crop residue spreader that evenly distributes crop residue over the entire cutting width of a combine.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a residue spreading system for use by an agricultural harvester.

The present invention relates in one form to a spreader system for use in an agricultural harvester having a threshing system and a cleaning system. The spreader system includes a chopper, a chaff spreader system, and a straw spreader system. The chaff spreader system being configured to receive a stream of chaff from the cleaning system; and the straw spreader system is configured to receive a straw stream from the shredder. The chaff spreader system is configured to discharge a stream of chaff airflow in a first flow path, and the straw spreader system is configured to discharge a stream of straw airflow in a second flow path. The first flow path and the second flow path intersect at a junction location separate from the chaff spreader system and the straw spreader system.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the chaff spreader system comprises: a right blower configured to discharge a right portion of the chaff airflow stream, and a left blower configured to discharge a left portion of the chaff airflow stream. The straw spreader system includes a right-side spreader configured to discharge a right-side portion of the straw air stream, and a left-side spreader configured to discharge a left-side portion of the straw air stream.

In another embodiment, the blower and the spreader of the spreader system have a substantially vertical axis of rotation and are configured to rotate about the substantially vertical axis of rotation.

In yet another embodiment, the blowers of the spreader system are configured to rotate in opposite rotational directions relative to each other, and the spreaders are configured to rotate in opposite rotational directions relative to each other.

In yet another embodiment, the second flow path of the spreader system is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spreader system.

In yet another embodiment, the first flow path of the spreader system is at an obtuse angle to the longitudinal axis.

In yet another embodiment, the chaff airflow of the spreader system has a velocity before the merging location and the straw airflow has a velocity before the merging location, the velocity of the chaff airflow being configured to be substantially slower than the velocity of the straw airflow.

In yet another embodiment, at the point of confluence of the spreader system, the chaff airflow and the straw airflow merge and the merged flow begins along a path that extends generally along the second flow path.

In yet another embodiment, the chaff airflow and the straw airflow exhibit increased chaotic motion at the point of confluence of the spreader system.

In yet another embodiment, the spreaders of the spreader system each include a plurality of rotatable V-shaped paddles.

In yet another embodiment, the V-shaped paddle of the spreader system has an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion having a dimension from the apex that is longer than a dimension of the lower portion.

In yet another embodiment, the spreaders of the spreader system each additionally comprise a deflector positioned radially outward from the paddle, the deflector being configured to help direct the straw airstream along the second flow path.

In yet another embodiment, the deflectors of the spreader system each have a trailing angle that is close in height to the location of the apex of the upper and lower portions of the V-shaped paddle.

In yet another embodiment, there is an angle of about 90 degrees between the upper and lower portions of the V-shaped paddle.

One advantage of the present invention is that wear of the chopper knives is reduced because the chaff stream does not pass through the chopper.

Another advantage resides in enhancing the dusting characteristics of MOGs.

Another advantage is that the mixing of the higher velocity straw stream with the chaff stream extends into the confines of the lighter weight chaff.

Another advantage is that the random chaotic nature of the combined MOG flow occurs away from the combine.

Drawings

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of an agricultural harvester in the form of a combine harvester that includes one embodiment of the spreader system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of elements of a spreader system used in the harvester of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is another top view of the spreader system of fig. 1 and 2, additionally showing the flow paths of the chaff and straw and the merging of these flows;

fig. 4 is a view from the rear of the harvester of fig. 1 showing details of a portion of the spreader system of fig. 1-3; and

fig. 5 is a rear view of the harvester of fig. 1 showing the spreader system of fig. 1-4 and the flow of MOG exiting the spreader system.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

Detailed Description

For convenience, the terms "grain," "straw," "chaff," and "tailings" are used primarily throughout the specification, but it should be understood that these terms are not limiting. Thus, "grain" refers to the portion of crop material that is threshed and separated from the disposable portion of the crop material, which is referred to as non-grain crop material or MOG (material other than grain). The term "straw" refers to the stem of a crop and it may be chopped prior to distribution on the field. The term "chaff" refers to material that is removed during the screening or straining process and is generally smaller and lighter than straw. Crop material that is not completely threshed is called "tailings". Furthermore, the terms "forward", "rearward", "left side" and "right side" when used in connection with an agricultural harvester and/or components thereof are generally determined with reference to the forward effective direction of travel D of the harvester, but, as such, they should not be construed as limiting. The terms "longitudinal" and "transverse" are determined with reference to the fore-aft direction of the agricultural harvester, and as such should not be construed as limiting.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to fig. 1, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of an agricultural vehicle 10 in the form of a combine harvester 10, the agricultural vehicle 10 representing a wide variety of agricultural harvesting machines. According to one aspect of the invention, a combine harvester 10 generally includes a chassis 12, ground engaging wheels 14 and 16, a header 18, a feeder housing 20, an operator cab 22, a threshing and separating system 24, a grain cleaning system 26, a grain bin 28, and an unloading conveyor 30. The discharge conveyor 30 is shown as a discharge auger, but may also be configured as a belt conveyor, chain elevator, or the like.

The front wheels 14 are larger cross-country road wheels (wheels) and the rear wheels 16 are smaller steerable wheels. Power is selectively applied to the front wheels 14 by a power plant and transmission (not shown) in the form of a diesel engine 32. Although the combine 10 is shown as including wheels, it should also be understood that the combine 10 may include tracks, such as full tracks or half tracks.

The header 18 is mounted to the front of the combine harvester 10 and includes a cutter bar 34 for cutting crop from the field during forward movement of the combine harvester 10. A rotatable drum 36 feeds crop into the header 18 and dual auger screws 38 feed severed crop laterally inward toward the feeder housing 20 from each side. The feeder housing 20 delivers the cut crop to a threshing and separating system 24 and may be selectively moved vertically using a suitable actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder (not shown).

The threshing and separating system 24 is of the axial type and generally comprises a rotor 40 at least partially surrounded by a corresponding perforated concave system 42 and rotatable about an axis RA within the corresponding perforated concave system 42. The cut crop is threshed and separated by rotation of the rotor 40 within the recess plate 42 and larger elements, such as stems, leaves, etc., are discharged from the rear of the combine 10. Smaller elements of crop material containing grains and non-grains (containing particles lighter than grains, such as chaff, dust, and straw) are discharged through the perforations of the recessed plate 42.

The grain that has been separated by the threshing and separating assembly 24 drops onto the grain pan 44 and is conveyed towards the grain cleaning system 26. The cleaning system 26 may include a pre-cleaning screen 46, an upper screen 48 (also referred to as a chaffer screen), a lower screen 50 (also referred to as a cleaning screen), and a cleaning fan 52. The grain on the

screens

46, 48 and 50 is subjected to a cleaning action by a fan 52, the fan 52 providing an airflow through the screen to remove chaff and other impurities such as dust from the material by causing the grain to be carried by the air for discharge from a straw hood 54 of the combine harvester 10. The grain pan 44 and pre-cleaning screen 46 are oscillated in a back-and-forth manner to convey grain and finer non-grain crop material to the upper surface of the upper screen 48. The upper and

lower screens

48, 50 are arranged vertically relative to each other and are also oscillated in a front-to-back manner to spread the grains over the

screens

48, 50 while allowing the cleaned grains to pass through the openings of the

screens

48, 50 by gravity.

The clean grain drops to a clean grain auger 56 positioned crosswise below and forward of the lower screen 50. The clean grain auger 56 receives clean grain from each of the

screens

48, 50 and the chassis 62 of the cleaning system 26. The clean grain auger 56 conveys the clean grain laterally to a grain elevator 60, which is arranged generally vertically, for transport to the grain bin 28. The tailings from the cleaning system 26 fall into the tailings auger flights 58. The tailings are transported to the upstream end of the cleaning system 26 via a tailings augur 64 and a return augur 66 for repeated cleaning passes. A cross augur 68 at the bottom of the grain tank 28 conveys the net grain within the grain tank 28 to the discharge augur 30 for discharge from the combine harvester 10.

The agitator 120 is rotatable to propel or direct a flow of plant residue, commonly referred to as straw S, toward the rear of the combine 10. The cleaning system 26 receives threshed crop components from the threshing system 24 and removes chaff and other remaining residue, such as pods, husks, particles, etc., commonly referred to as chaff C, and directs a flow of chaff C toward the spreader system 150 toward the rear end of the combine 10. The straw S passes through the cavity 140 towards a spreader system 150 at the lower opening of the cavity 140 and into a chopper 152. The shaping members 142 define the boundaries of travel of the straw S.

Now, with additional reference to fig. 2 and 3, spreader system 150 includes a chaff spreader system 154 that receives a stream of chaff C from cleaning system 26; and a straw spreader system 156 that receives the flow of straw S from the shredder 152. The chaff spreader system 154 discharges a chaff air stream CAS in a first flow path FP1, while the straw spreader system 156 discharges a straw air stream SAS in a second flow path FP 2. The first flow path FP1 and the second flow path FP2 intersect at a junction position CON that is separate from the chaff spreader system 154 and the straw spreader system 156. This merging of the streams CAS and SAS imparts additional velocity to the chaff air stream CAS, which is essentially comprised of a finer, lower density material. The momentum of the heavier straw gas stream SAS imparts energy to the chaff gas stream CAS and the combined stream generally continues along a second flow path FP 2.

Although the discussion herein is generally related to what happens on one side of harvester 10, a mirror image of this action also occurs on the other side of harvester 10.

The chaff spreader system 154 includes a right-hand blower 158R and a left-hand blower 158L that are mirror images of each other and operate in opposite rotational manners relative to each other about a generally vertical axis a1 relative to the ground. The right blower 158R discharges a right portion of the chaff stream CAS, and the left blower 158L discharges a left portion of the chaff stream CAS. In a similar manner, the straw spreader system 156 includes a right side thrower 160R that discharges the right portion of the straw airstream stream SAS; and a left side thrower 160L discharging a left side portion of the straw gas stream SAS. The

throwers

160L and 160R each rotate relative to the ground about a substantially vertical axis a 2. An important aspect of the present invention is that the chaff stream CAS and the straw stream SAS exit the harvester 10 combination. The confluence region CON is at least 2 meters, preferably 5 meters, from the harvester 10. The result of this confluence of the streams CAS and SAS is that the chips in the chaff C do not pass through the chopper 152 and the energy of the straw stream SAS can be used to carry the chaff stream CAS to a greater distance and increase the chaotic flow of the residue, thereby randomizing the flow of the residue so that it is distributed in a uniform manner over the ground.

As can be seen in fig. 3, the second flow path FP2 is substantially perpendicular to a Longitudinal Axis (LA) corresponding to direction D along which the harvester 10 harvests the unharvested crop. It can also be seen in fig. 3 that the first flow path FP1 is at an obtuse angle with respect to direction D and is directed rearwardly so that it will encounter the straw gas stream SAS. Generally, the speed V1 of the chaff airflow CAS is slower than the speed V2 of the straw airflow SAS before the junction position CON, which may be due to the lighter weight of the chaff C (which has a higher tendency to disperse in the air). At the junction position CON, the chaff airflow stream CAS and the straw airflow stream SAS are merged and the merged material travels along a path that extends generally along the second flow path FP2, wherein the straw airflow stream SAS lengthens the distance of the chaff airflow stream CAS due to the merging of the streams. As can be seen, the combination of the chaff airflow CAS and the straw airflow SAS exhibits an increased chaotic motion as illustrated by the increased wave-shaped curve at the junction area CON. This chaotic motion is also the result of the vortices generated by the motion of streams CAS and SAS. The support of the chaff airflow stream CAS in a vertical direction relative to the longitudinal axis LA helps to increase the effective distance that the chaff C may travel before sinking to the ground.

Referring now additionally to fig. 4, additional features of the throwing machine 160 are shown. The

throwers

160R and 160L each contain a plurality of rotatable V-shaped paddles 162. Each of the V-shaped paddles 162 has an upper portion 164 and a lower portion 166, with the upper portion 164 being longer than the lower portion 166. Upper portion 164 has a length of distance 164D, which may be twice as long as distance 166D of lower portion 166. The shape of the V-shaped paddles 162 is such that they tend to gather the chopped straw from the chopper 152 into clumps which are then thrown along the second flow path FP 2. This clumping or aggregation serves to reduce the dispersion of the clumps as they travel along the second flow path FP2 until the clumps encounter and merge with the chaff airflow stream CAS, allowing for an extended stroke of the chaff C in the combined stream.

The

throwers

160R, 160L each additionally include a deflector 168, the deflector 168 being formed to help contain the lumps formed on the V-shaped paddle 162 until they are released to travel along the flow path FP 2. The deflectors 168 each have a trailing angle 170 that is approximately the location of the apex 162V of the upper and

lower portions

164, 166 of the V-shaped paddle 162 in height. The angle between the upper portion 164 and the lower portion 166 of the V-shaped paddle 162 is about 90 degrees.

Now, with further reference to fig. 5, the flow paths FP1 and FP2 of the MOG as it exits spreader system 150 and is distributed relatively evenly over the crop's harvest width W, which corresponds to the width W of combine header 18. The left and right side portions of the flow paths FP1 and FP2 and the confluence region CON are shown.

Advantageously, the present invention reduces wear of the knives of the shredder because the stream of chaff, which may have coarse elements therein, does not pass through the shredder. The spreading characteristics of the MOG are improved because the chaff stream has an extended range due to the higher velocity straw stream mixing with the chaff stream at a distance from the harvester. In the confluence region, the random chaotic nature of the combined MOG streams randomizes the overall flow, thereby allowing the residue to be more evenly spread.

While this invention has been described with respect to at least one embodiment, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A spreader system (150) for use in an agricultural harvester (10), the agricultural harvester (10) having a threshing system (24) and a cleaning system (26), the spreader system (150) comprising:

-a chopper (152) for chopping straw from the threshing system (24);

-a chaff spreader system (154) configured to receive a flow of chaff (C) from the cleaning system (26); and

-a straw spreader system (156) configured to receive a flow of straw (S) from the shredder (152);

characterized in that the chaff spreader system (154) is configured to discharge a Chaff Airflow Stream (CAS) in a first flow path (FP1), and the straw spreader system (156) is configured to discharge a Straw Airflow Stream (SAS) in a second flow path (FP2), the first flow path (FP1) and the second flow path (FP2) intersecting at a merge location (CON) separate from the chaff spreader system (154) and the straw spreader system (156),

the first flow path (FP1) is at an obtuse angle with respect to a Longitudinal Axis (LA) of the spreader system (150).

2. The spreader system (150) according to claim 1, wherein the chaff spreader system (154) comprises:

-a right side blower (158R) configured to discharge a right side portion of the Chaff Airflow Stream (CAS);

-a left blower (158L) configured to discharge a left portion of the Chaff Airflow Stream (CAS);

-wherein the straw spreader system (156) comprises:

-a right side thrower (160R) configured to discharge a right side portion of the straw gas stream (SAS); and

-a left side throwing machine (160L) configured to discharge a left side portion of the straw gas stream (SAS).

3. The spreader system (150) of claim 2, wherein the blower (158R, 158L) and the spreader (160R, 160L) include a generally vertical axis of rotation and are configured to rotate about the generally vertical axis of rotation.

4. The spreader system (150) of claim 3, wherein the blowers (158R, 158L) are configured to rotate in opposite rotational directions relative to each other, and the right side spreader (160R) and the left side spreader (160L) are configured to rotate in opposite rotational directions relative to each other.

5. The spreader system (150) according to claim 1, wherein the second flow path (FP2) is substantially perpendicular to the Longitudinal Axis (LA).

6. A spreader system (150) according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the Chaff Airflow Stream (CAS) has a velocity (V1) before the junction position (CON) and the Straw Airflow Stream (SAS) has a velocity (V2) before the junction position (CON), the velocity (V1) of the Chaff Airflow Stream (CAS) being configured to be substantially slower than the velocity (V2) of the Straw Airflow Stream (SAS).

7. A spreader system (150) according to claim 6, wherein at the merging position (CON), the Chaff Airflow Stream (CAS) and the Straw Airflow Stream (SAS) are merged and the merged stream starts along a path extending substantially along the second flow path (FP 2).

8. A spreader system (150) according to claim 1, wherein at the merging location (CON), the Chaff Airflow Stream (CAS) and the Straw Airflow Stream (SAS) exhibit increased chaotic motion.

9. The spreader system (150) of claim 2, wherein the right side spreader (160R) and left side spreader (160L) each include a plurality of rotatable V-shaped paddles (162).

10. The spreader system (150) of claim 9, wherein the V-shaped paddle (162) has an upper portion (164) and a lower portion (166), the upper portion (164) having a dimension (164D) from the apex (162V) that is longer than a dimension (166D) of the lower portion (166).

11. A spreader system (150) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the right-hand spreader (160R) and left-hand spreader (160L) each additionally comprise a deflector (168) located radially outwardly from the V-shaped paddle (162), the deflector (168) being configured to assist in directing the Straw Airstream (SAS) along the second flow path (FP 2).

12. The spreader system (150) of claim 11, wherein the deflectors (168) each have a trailing angle that is in close height to the location of the apex of the upper portion (164) and the apex of the lower portion (166) of the V-shaped paddle (162).

13. The spreader system (150) of claim 12, wherein an angle between an upper portion (164) and a lower portion (166) of the V-shaped paddle (162) is about 90 degrees.

14. An agricultural harvester (10) comprising the spreader system (150) according to claim 1, wherein the agricultural harvester (10) is an agricultural combine (10).